Instagram Visual Analysis with Apify Scraping, OpenAI GPT-5 & Google Sheets

Pull recent Instagram post media for any username, fetch the image binaries, and run automated visual analysis with OpenAI — all orchestrated inside n8n. This workflow uses a Google Sheet to supply target usernames, calls Apify’s Instagram Profile Scraper to fetch recent posts, downloads the images, and passes them to an OpenAI vision-capable model for structured analysis. Results can then be logged, stored, or routed onward depending on your use case.

🧑‍💻 Who’s it for Social media managers analyzing competitor or brand posts
Marketing teams tracking visual trends and campaign content
Researchers collecting structured insights from Instagram images

⚙️ How it works Google Sheets – Supplies Instagram usernames (one per row).
Apify Scraper – Fetches latest posts (images and metadata).
HTTP Request – Downloads each image binary.
OpenAI Vision Model – Analyzes visuals and outputs structured summaries.
Filter & Split Nodes – Ensure only the right rows and posts are processed.

🔑 Setup Instructions

1. Connect Google Sheets (OAuth2) Go to n8n → Credentials → New → Google Sheets (OAuth2)
   Sign in with your Google account and grant access
   In the Get Google Sheet node, select your spreadsheet + worksheet (must contain a User column with Instagram usernames)

2. Connect Apify (HTTP Query Auth) Get your Apify API token at Apify Console → Integrations/API
   In n8n → Credentials → New → HTTP Query Auth, add a query param token=<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>
   In the Scrape Details node, select that credential and use the provided URL:

3. Connect OpenAI (API Key) Create an API key at OpenAI Platform
   In n8n → Credentials → New → OpenAI API, paste your key
   In the OpenAI Chat Model node, select your credential and choose a vision-capable model (gpt-4o-mini, gpt-4o, or gpt-5 if available)

🛠️ How to customize Change the Google Sheet schema (e.g., add campaign tags or notes).
Adjust the OpenAI system prompt to refine what details are extracted (e.g., brand logos, colors, objects).
Route results to Slack, Notion, or Airtable instead of storing only in Sheets.
Apply filters (hashtags, captions, or timeframe) directly in the Apify scraper config.

📋 Requirements n8n (Cloud or self-hosted)
Google Sheets account
Apify account + API token
OpenAI API key with a funded account

📬 Contact
Need help customizing this (e.g., filtering by campaign, sending reports by email, or formatting your PDF)?

📧 rbreen@ynteractive.com
🔗 Robert Breen
🌐 ynteractive.com